Fair lead roller assembly



Nov. 13, 1962 FIG.|

J. C. HELSEL, SR

FAIR LEAD ROLLER ASSEMBLY Filed March 20, 1959 INVENTOR. Joseph C. Helsel,Sr. BY

tates "aired This invention relates to fair leads for excavating machines and more particularly to a fair lead roller assembly for reducing the wear on cables used in dragline work and a method for converting a stationary guide assembly of a fair lead to a roller type assembly.

Various fair leads, such as the Bucyrus Erie dragline No. 88B or 54B, have been used in the past, which include a pair of superjacent sheave wheels between which a wire cable is trained by a pair of stationary hardened steel guide blocks. -It has been found that this arrangement of parts produces a drag on the line and creates considerable friction between the cable and guide blocks, with subsequent damage to one or both.

It is an object of this invention to provide a fair lead roller assembly for eliminating drag on a cable trained through the fair lead and reducing friction between the cable and fair lead to an absolute minimum, thereby indefinitely prolonging the life of the cable and guide assembly.

Other objects are to provide a fair lead roller assembly adapted to replace a fair lead guide block assembly; to provide a roller assembly which may be readily attached to the main assembly of a conventional fair lead in a minimum of time and with a minimum of efiort; and to provide a roller assembly, the bearings of which are sealed against the infiltration of foreign matter and lubricated to facilitate rotation.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following description of the present preferred form of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a fair lead roller assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention and illustrating its application to a fair lead;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the device of the present invention in operative position, portions thereof being broken away shown in section to disclose details of construction;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIGURE 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged elevational view of a roller forming a part of the present invention, portions thereof being shown in section; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged elevational view of a roller shaft forming a part of the present invention.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawing, there is shown, in FIGURE 1, a fair lead comprising a main assembly and a guide assembly 11 detachably engaged with the main assembly.

Main assembly 10 is of conventional construction and includes a frame comprising a pair of spaced parallel plates 12 between which an upper pulley 13 and a lower pulley 14 are rotatably mounted in journal members 15 and 16, respectively. The central aft portions of plates 12 issue into a hub 17 adapted for engagement with an excavating machine, or the like. A cylindrical housing 18 extends rearwardly from hub 17, through which housing a cable 19 passes.

The guide assembly 11 of the present invention comprises a pair of vertically arranged spaced side plates 20, each of which is provided with upper and lower openings 21 located adjacent the rear edges of the plates. Bar spacers, designated 22, are fixed in any suitable manner to the inner faces of side plates 20' and are provided 3,963,689 Patented Nov. 13, 1962 ICC? with openings 21' to space said plates from main assembly 10 when the former are secured to the latter by means of bolts 23 and nuts 24. Midway of the length of each side plate there is provided an arm 25 extending rearwardly from the aft edge thereof, each arm having an opening mating with an opening in side plate 12 of main assembly 10. Bolts 26 and 27 pass through plates 12 and arms 25 to secure roller assembly 11 to main assembly 10.

Side plates 20 are spaced by a lower plate 28 and an upper plate 29 which are welded or secured in any other suitable manner to the inner faces of the plates adjacent the upper and lower terminals thereof. Lower and upper plates 28 and 29 are each provided with spaced openings adapted to receive the terminal portions of a pair of like spaced roller shafts 30.

Referring to FIG. 5, it will be seen that, at a point approaching its upper limit, each shaft 30 is enlarged to provide a bearing seat 31. Bearing seat 31 in turn issues into an enlarged terminal portion 32, a portion of the extreme terminal of which is cut away at 33 to provide a lock plate seat. Near the lower extremity of shaft 30 there is provided an enlarged portion comprising a bearing seat 34 similar to bearing seat 31. The lower plate engaging terminal of shaft 31 is indicated at 35.

Each shaft 30 is adapted to extend through the longitudinal bore 36 of a roller 37. Longitudinal bore 36 is enlarged at the upper and lower terminals of roller 37, as indicated at 38, to receive double roller ball bearing assemblies 39, the outer sides of which are shielded to keep out foreign matter which cable 19 gathers from the excavation. It will be noted, from FIG. 2, that lower ball bearings 39 rest upon collars 40 at the locus of the shaft openings.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it will be seen that shafts 30 are so mounted between lower and upper plates 28 and 29 that lock plate seats 33 are in facing engagement with each other in order to receive a lock plate 41 secured to upper plate 29 by suitable means 42 to prevent rotation of shafts 30. It is further seen that enlarged section 32 is adapted to fit through each opening of upper plate 29 while bearing seats 31 and 34 engage the inner peripheries of upper and lower hearing as semblies 39. Terminal portion is adapted to pass through each opening in lower plate 28.

It is further within the contemplation of the present invention to provide a lubrication system for the ball bearing assemblies. For this purpose, the upper and lower terminals of shafts 30 are provided with grease fittings 43 and ducts 44 through which the lubricant passes to the void between the outer periphery of shaft 30 and the wall of roller 37 defining longitudinal bore 36. This keeps ball bearing assemblies 39 lubricated at all times during the roller assemblys operation, thereby reducing friction between shafts 39 and rollers 37 to an absolute minimum.

In converting a conventional fair lead, such as the Bucyrus Erie 883 or 54B, to a roller-type fair lead, the bolts which hold the fair lead guide blocks in position are first withdrawn to permit removal of the guide blocks. These bolts are the same as indicated at 23 and 26 in the drawing. Roller assembly 11 is then moved into position with the openings in side plates 20 aligned with the openings in parallel plates 12 of main assembly 10, after which bolts 23, 26 and 27 are reinserted. Nuts 24 are threadedly engaged with the bolts to complete the operation. The whole conversion can be efiected within thirty minutes.

By use of the present method and apparatus, drag over a solid bar is eliminated and the factor, taken with the ease of rotation of the rollers, obviates the danger of damage to the cable or fair lead. It has been found, through actual use, that the fair lead roller assembly of the present invention is responsible for prolonging cable life more than 50%. This particular arrangement of parts further prevents oscillation of rollers 37 on shafts 30, thereby avoiding possible damage thereto. With respect to the lubrication system, the space between the outer periphery of shafts 30 and the inner peripheries of rollers 37 affords a large lubricant reservoir so that bearing assemblies 39 will remain lubricated, even if the supply is not replenished for a prolonged period. Also, since the friction between the cable and roller assembly is cut to an absolute minimum, the same roller assembly may be used for an indefinite period of time before replacement.

While I have herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a fair lead including a frame, a pair of pulleys rotatably mounted on the frame in spaced, uniplanar relation, and a cable adapted to be trained between said pulleys; a fair lead guide assembly fixed to the pulley frame comprising vertically arranged spaced plates detachably connected to the frame in opposed relation, spacer plates secured to, and extending between, the inner faces of the vertically arrangedspaced plates adjacent the upper and lower terminals thereof, each of the spacer plates being provided with spaced, vertically aligned openings, roller shafts between said vertically arnanged spaced plates, the terminal portions of each roller shaft being received in the spacer plate openings, the upper terminal portion of each roller shaft being cut away to provide opposed lock plate seats, a stationary lock plate detachably engaged with the upper spacer plate, said lock plate being engaged with the lock plate seats to prevent rotation of the roller shafts, rollers rotatably sleeved on said roller shafts in spaced relation to said shafts and to each other, ball bearing assemblies interposed between said roller shafts and rollers, to facilitate rotation of the latter, and means for shielding said ball bearing assemblies to keep out foreign matter.

2. A fair lead guide assembly, as set out in claim 1, wherein the terminals of said roller shafts are provided with grease fittings and lubricant ducts, the lubricant 4 ducts being in communication with the voids between the roller shafts and rollers.

3. In combination with a fair lead including a frame, a pair of pulleys rotatably mounted on the frame in spaced, uniplanar relation, and a cable adapted to be trained between said pulleys; a fair lead guide assembly fixed tothe pulley frame comprising vertical-1y arranged spaced plates detachably connected to the frame in opposed relation, spacer plates secured to, and extending between, the inner faces of the vertically arranged spaced plates adjacent the upper and lower terminals thereof, each of the spacer plates being provided with spaced, vertically aligned openings, roller shafts between said vertically arranged spaced plates, the terminal portions of each roller shaft being received in the spacer plate openings, each of said roller shafts being enlarged at a point approaching its upper limit to provide a bearing seat, said bearing seat issuing into an enlarged terminal portion, a part of said terminal portion being cut away to provide a lock plate seat, the roller shaft also being enlarged at a point approaching its lower limit to provide a bearing seat, a stationary lock plate detachably engaged with the upper spacer plate, the terminals of said lock plate being engaged with the lock plate seat of each of said roller shafts to prevent rotation of the latter, guide rollers rotatably sleeved on said roller shafts in spaced relation to said roller shafts and to each other, and anti-friction bearing assemblies positioned on the bearing seats of said roller shafts and engageable with the inner periphery of said guide rollers, to facilitate rotation of the latter.

4. A fair lead assembly as set out in claim 2, wherein the terminals of said roller shafts are provided with grease fittings and lubricant ducts, the lubricant ducts being in communication with the voids between the roller shafts and guide rollers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 934,809 Holmes Sept. 21, 1909 1,929,417 Fykse Oct. 10, 1933 2,255,314 Graham Sept. 9, 1941 2,344,417 Schmidt et al Mar. 14, 1944 2,356,255 Lichtenberg Aug. 22, 1944 2,609,587 Kuljian Sept. 9, 1952 2,660,382 Wilson Nov. 24, 1953 2,868,505 Gurley Jan. 13, 1959 

